Portable signal-flag.



1. H. ALLDEBTON. PORTABLE SIGNAL FLAG.

APPLICATION FILED APILZO. I915- Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

JOHN H. ALLDERTON, 0F BEDIEIELD, SOUTH DAKOTA.

PORTABLE SIGN .AL-FLAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed April 20, 1915. Serial No. 22,618.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. ALLDER'roN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Redfield, in the county ofSpink and State of South Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Signal-Flags; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. fl Theinvention relates to a portable signal The object of the presentinvention is to improve the construction of signal flags and to providea portable signal flag adapted to be readily clamped to a track forprotecting workmen on or about a train or a track where work is beingdone and capable of being easily and quickly transferred from one pointor place to another.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable signal flagof this character of strong and durable construction which will be bothsimple and inexpensive and which when set up properly in position cannotbe accidentally blown down.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointedout in the claim hereto appended, it being un derstood that variouschanges in the form, proportion and minor details of construc tion maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portable signal flagconstructed in accordance with this invention, Fig. 2 is an endelevation of the lower portion of the signal flag, Fig. 3 is ahorizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention, 1 designates a staff or pole con structedof tubular metal such as gas pipe and having its lower portion flattenedand provided with a lateral bend 2 for embracing one side of the head orball 3 of a rail 4 which is embraced at the opposite side by a lateralbend 5 of a lever 6. The lever 6 which consists of a bar extends throughslots or openings 7 in the staff or pole 1 and is pivoted at anintermediate point to the latter by a rivet 8 or other suitablefastening device which pierces the staff or pole and the lever. Thestaff or pole and the lever are provided at their lower ends withstraight portions 9 and 10 to which are bolted, riveted or otherwisesecured, jaws 11 and 12 which engage the web of the rail at the oppositefaces thereof whereby the pole or staff is rigidly maintained in anupright position.

The jaws 11 and 12 are constructed of sheet metal or other suitablematerial and are of a width substantially equal to the width or heightof the rail and the lower edges 13 and 14 of the jaws are curveddownwardly and outwardly to form flanges to rest upon the bottom flangesof the rail. The lower arm of the lever is substantially straight abovethe lateral bend 5 and the upper arm is curved slightly and is reducedat the upper portion 16 and is adapted to be locked to the staff or poleby a slidable ring or loop 17 which is movable upwardly and downwardlyon the staff or pole to engage with and disengage it from the lever 15.Any other suitable means, however, may be employed for locking the leverin its closed or engaging position.

The staff or pole is equipped at its upper end with a signal flag 18preferably constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material but afabric flag may of course be employed.

It will be seen that the portable signal flag is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it possesses great strength anddurability and that it is adapted to be quickly applied to and removedfrom a rail. It will also be apparent that the clamping means firmlysecures the staff or pole to a rail and that the signal flag is rigidlymaintained in an upright position and effectively prevented fromaccidentally blowing over.

What is claimed-is:-

A portable signal including a vertical staff extending upwardly from.the head of a rail and provided near its lower end with a laterallyextending bend passing around one side of the head of the rail, saidstaff being also provided below the bend with an attaching portion, alever pivoted intermediate of its ends to the vertical staff arranged toengage over the upper end of the lever and limited in its downwardmovement by the curvature of the upper arm of the lever. e

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

, JOHN H. ALLDERTON.

Witnesses J. A. PRITZKAU, C. C. HARMoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centsveach,by addressingthe flommissionbr of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 7

